A look at five clubs and their chances of Mata joining.
With Juan Mata being inexplicably frozen out by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, the talented playmaker will surely be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this January, with a whole host of clubs ready to snap him up. Chelsea’s loss will almost certainly be someone else’s gain, as the giants of European football will look to take advantage of his bizarre situation.
With great skill, technique and vision, Mata is the perfect modern attacking midfielder, and would command a starting place in most teams, even if Mourinho doesn’t think so. So where will Mata finally end up? We examine perhaps the five most likely candidates to sign the Spaniard when the transfer window re-opens.
Valencia
Mata first arrived at Chelsea from Valencia in 2011, and, somewhat surprisingly, his former club have emerged as one of the main contenders to bring him back to the Mestalla this January. Although Los Che are hardly the force that they used to be, and are not in the healthiest financial situation just now, they are determined to bring back their former hero, and have reportedly spoken to sponsors and local businesses to help raise money for a £25m bid.
It’s hard to tell how much Mata would mind taking this step down for the moment, particularly as the move would almost definitely guarantee him regular first-team football in the build-up to next summer’s World Cup, which will be his main priority for now. Still, a player of his ability might rightly feel he could command a starting spot at most other top clubs anyway, so why take this step backwards?
This move is a tough one to call, but it’s certainly believable that a move back to the club where he made his name could be tempting to Mata in these difficult times. It may only be for the short-term, but it could work out well. Questions remain, however, over whether Valencia can truly afford the deal.
5/10
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid are said to be another La Liga side keen to bring Mata back to Spain. Madrid’s second team have made real improvements in the last few years under the management of Diego Simeone, who should still have plenty of funds for this move from the £51m sale of Radamel Falcao to Monaco over the summer.
Unlike Valencia, Atletico look like they could be going places, and currently sit joint-top of La Liga with Barcelona, having won all six of their opening games of the season. They were also victorious in the Copa Del Rey final last season, beating arch-rivals Real Madrid for the piece of silverware. Aside from that, they play an adventurous style of football that Mata could fit into well, and the 25-year-old would certainly get the chance to become the focal point of the team if he joined.
They may not be as glamerous a move as Barcelona or Real Madrid, but the club’s philosophy and ambition make this seem a good and realistic next step for Mata in his career.
7/10
Napoli
Mata certainly enjoyed his football at Chelsea under the management of interim boss Rafael Benitez last season, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the two were keen to link up again at Benitez’s new club Napoli. Like Atletico Madrid, Napoli are a club very much on the up at the moment, even with the summer departure of Edinson Cavani to PSG, which has seen the club invest wisely in some exciting new players such as Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon. Along with Pepe Reina, who is on loan at the club for the season from Liverpool, there is clearly a strong Spanish-speaking contingent growing at the Naples club, and Mata would find it easy to fit in and continue to help the club rise up Serie A.
Napoli have made a great start to the season under Benitez, and will hope to keep attracting top players, with Mata certainly an opportunity they won’t want to pass down. Although he would be unlikely to break the Barca-Real dominance in La Liga, Mata might have a genuine chance of winning the title in Italy, with Napoli looking good contenders to compete with Juventus this year.
An appealing move all-round, and another that looks highly possible for a variety of reasons.
7/10
Manchester United
Supposedly, Manchester United were keen on bringing Juan Mata to Old Trafford in return for Wayne Rooney this summer, with Chelsea very publicly pursuing the England striker for much of the transfer window. This move never worked out, and while Rooney probably won’t be moving to Stamford Bridge in January either, the Red Devils may be one of many clubs joining the queue for Mata when the window re-opens.
David Moyes spent much of the summer looking for a new playmaker to replace the retiring Paul Scholes, though he missed out on the likes of Mata’s fellow countrymen Thiago Alcantara and Cesc Fabregas. Mata would be an ideal candidate for this position though, and from his point of view he would be pretty guaranteed of a regular place in the side at United.
Sadly for him, a move to another Premier League side is probably unlikely, as Chelsea will know all too well that they would be in serious risk of strengthening their title rivals. Arsenal and Tottenham have also been linked with Mata, and while he would probably welcome the chance to stay in England, it seems far more likely that the Blues will look to ship him abroad.
3/10
PSG
PSG are another club on the lookout for a top playmaker this January, with Laurent Blanc revealing recently that he tried late on to sign both Mata and Arsenal new-boy Mesut Ozil during the summer. With Chelsea likely to ask for big bucks to let Mata to, PSG’s strong financial backing makes them arguably the most realistic contenders for his signature, as well as being able to offer the Spaniard a realistic taste of title success and the chance to play alongside world class names such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.
There’s no question that PSG are building a superb team, and if Mata joins the French champions he could form a side that will be genuine contenders for the Champions League as well in the near future, perhaps even this season. Ligue 1 in general might not be as glamerous a league as the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A, but it is continuing to grow and a move to Paris could offer Mata everything he needs at the moment.
With so many clubs interested, it’s hard to say where Mata will end up, but PSG seems as likely an option as any.
8/10